DDT ‘D-OH Grand Prix 2019’ (12.9.18) Spoiler Free Review

DDT ‘D-OH Grand Prix 2019’ (12.9.18) Spoiler Free Review

The D-OH Grand Prix is a round-robin tournament held by DDT. Fourteen wrestlers are separated into two blocks and the winners meet to determine who will challenge for the top prize in DDT, the KO-D Openweight Championship.

There has been a growing interest in DDT over the last year so my goal is to explain what to expect from these shows. DDT has a stigma against it, being known as the comedy promotion. Those who hate the comedy style oversell how much of that there is in the company. Tournaments like these allow the wrestlers to showcase more traditional wrestling skills that may be appealing to new fans curious about the promotion.

No results will be given in these articles. Instead, I’ll be highlighting what each match brought to the table, how long it went, and the timecode of the match if you’re interested.

You can watch these shows either live or OnDemand from DDT Universe. There will be nine shows in total and with such a diverse cast of wrestling, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Puma King vs Akito – (46:45) 11 Minutes
Out of everyone in the tournament, Puma King’s versatility has been a standout. Whether he’s matching charisma with Sasaki, in a strongman match with Higuchi or going crazy for crazy with MAO, Puma King can do it all. Akito favors limb targeting so Puma King followed his lead and they had a nice back and forth picking apart each other’s legs. Check this match out if you enjoy limb focus with a little bit of Puma King flare to keep things fun.

Kazusada Higuchi vs MAO – (1:01:50) 14 Minutes
MAO’s crusade to prove he’s the world’s craziest wrestler meets head on with the pure strength of Higuchi. Two of DDT’s brightest young stars, Higuchi has a well defined role as the power guy while MAO’s allows for complete unpredictability. Both guys look to be long-term staples in DDT. Check this match out if you enjoy unpredictable chaos.

Sammy Guevara vs Tetsuya Endo – (1:45:25) 12 Minutes
Endo is widely considered DDT’s most athletic (though MAO is closing that gap) and he meets up against his tournament counterpart in Sammy Guevara. Two of the tournament’s most athletic in a constant battle of one upping each other. The meeting of the Shooting Stars and Spanish Flys. Check this match out if you enjoy high flying.

HARASHIMA vs Daisuke Sasaki – (2:02:55) 16 Minutes
Current KO-D Openweight Champion, Daisuke Sasaki, faces off against the man who’s had the most reigns as champion, HARASHIMA. These two have had several singles meetings, Sasaki’s first KO-D Openweight reign coming from a win over HARASHIMA. This is an old era versus current era dynamic of sorts. HARASHIMA isn’t completely out of the picture yet but it’s guys like Sasaki who are hoping to push him out and take over the lead role themselves. Check this match out if you enjoy battles between eras.

Shinya Aoki vs Konosuke Takeshita – (2:23:15) 9 Minutes
Up until this point in the tournament, Aoki has struck fear into his opponents. That didn’t work against Takeshita. The budding ace of DDT looked to defend his domain by meeting the MMA star face-to-face in a clean and fair contest. Check this match out if you enjoy mat wrestling.

Robert McCauley hasn't missed an NJPW show since the launch of NJPW World. Always be on the look out for his reviews where he shares results and gives his honest opinions on the goings-on of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.